Brunaulf POV:

Silence flowed between us as the moonlight shone down from a glass window embedded into the ceiling high above.

“...Say something...”

She bit her trembling lip while a hint of anger slipped into her voice. My heart ached as I looked at what he had done to my sister.

“...SAY SOMETHING!!”

Her long, dark green hair, that reached her knees, swayed slightly. I stood there quietly as my eyebrows quivered. No amount of preparation would have been sufficient for this moment.

“Ha... You come to take me back after all these years? Did you expect me to sing praises for you? To call you my hero? You threw me away like trash on the street. Unwanted and unneeded. Now you show up out of the blue...”

Her words trailed off as she failed to maintain her composure. Anger flashed through her face followed by relief, then sadness, then anger again. I cast my eyes down to the ground while I clenched my teeth.

“No... No you don’t... Look at me! LOOK AT ME!! Do you see what they’ve done to your sister?!”

I met her eyes again as she roared. The chains clanged against the wall uncontrollably while her fists shook with rage.

“That day... Our parents died... We promised them during their last moments. Dammit, Brunaulf! We promised them!

We said that no matter what, we would look after one another. We would be there for each other... Support each other! We held their hands and promised them together, BRUNAULF!!”

Fresh blood splashed against the ground below as bits of flesh from her coarse throat was torn off. She had every right to be angry, to be disappointed in me.

“Ugh...”

She screamed while sobbing to herself. The pain in her voice made me bite my lip as my eyes shook. Our parents only had one wish, and I failed to meet their expectations. I failed to be an older brother who could protect his little sister.

I failed.

“...He touched me against my will... He beat me till I thought I couldn’t bleed anymore... He chained me to the wall... Hanging me up like a spectacle... But... But... I could only survive because of you...”

Her head hung down as she mumbled. I felt her breathing become more unstable while she spoke.

“...Tell me, Brother... Are you here to save me, or is this all one big illusion I’ve made up in my mind to escape from the reality that I’ll never see you again?”

Her pale skin turned a shade lighter as her eyes became more unfocused. I finally found the strength to move and took one step forward.

“Ha... It’s all in my head again, isn’t it...? Right... You wouldn’t come for me... No one would...”

The light in her eyes grew dim once I stood a few meters away from her. She used what little strength she had left to raise her head as she examined me closely.

Her lips barely had any colour to them. Her face bruised badly as bite marks adorned areas around her neck. Her light green eyes were almost greyish while parts of her body convulsed randomly.

“...I know you’re not real...But at least this time... Say something to me... I can’t go on... Much longer...”

I extended my hand and rested it against her soft cheek. There were no reasons that I could give, no explanation that would suffice, so I said the only thing I could.

“I’m sorry, Belle.”

***

Beatrix POV:

“Did you remember to bring a spare change of clothes?”

“Mhm, I remembered.”

We walked down the tunnel once I sensed that Brunaulf had taken care of the Baron. Christina tugged on my arm as she walked with her eyes closed.

Animals locked up in cages had strange growths coming out of their bodies. I saw empty syringes scattered across the ground in some of the cells.

‘Enigma.’

They were the only organization that had no humanity. They experimented on anybody and anything—there were no limits when it came to getting the results they wanted.

It was for this reason I instructed Christina to close her eyes; nothing good would come out of putting these grotesque images in her mind.

“Umm, Beatrix. Can I open my eyes now?”

We turned another corner, and a horrible stench wafted into my nose. Christina recoiled backwards as she gasped for fresh air while I examined the source of the smell.

The Baron laid against the wall in a puddle of his own urine. His pupils had rolled back into his head, showing the whites of his eyes as saliva dripped out of his open mouth. His pulse was fine, but he was unable to wake up—stuck in a state of suspended animation.

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‘...’

I walked past him, and once we had entered the next tunnel, I told Christina to open her eyes. She let out a sigh while she quickly began examining the tunnel around us.

“Let us wait here for now.”

“Hmm... But why? We can keep on going?”

“He... needs time.”

I folded my arms and leaned my back against the earth. Christina brushed the dirt off her clothes while she hummed to herself.

Her slow tempo matched the rhythmic movements of her hands as the melody echoed throughout the tunnel. The notes intertwined together, creating a visible texture that lit up the tunnel in a way a torch never could. It was a beautiful tune that relaxed one’s heart.

Christina's hands came to a stop as the light in the tunnel dimmed. She looked up at me from her seated position and parted her lips.

“What do you think? My mother used to hum that song to me when I was a little girl.”

“It is rather pleasant.”

“You’re stingy.”

She pouted as she rested her hand against her cheek.

“I want to hum it to my children one day... And I want them to hum it to their children. It’s silly, right?”

Her eyebrows quivered slightly. Christina often tried to mask her feelings by bringing up other topics or by walking around in circles. Even though her time here wasn’t necessarily bad, it wasn’t what she had hoped or intended for.

She was still searching for her knight in shining armour—just like in the books her mother would read to her when she was young.

I sighed inwardly. She probably would have met him already if she didn’t always fall for other men's cliché attempts at flirting.

Anyhow, she would be moving into the Kassmeyer Estate soon, so I was certain her mood would be uplifted then.

“It will work out, Christina.”

“Ha... I sure do hope so. So when are you going to tell that handsome guy that you like him?”

My cheeks stiffened. I peered down at Christina, who suddenly began whistling while looking in the other direction.

“...He is already taken anyway.”

“Wow. Does she look better than you then?”

The veins on the side of my head bulged slightly. I suddenly remembered why I wasn’t so keen on taking Christina back to the Kassmeyer Estate in the first place. If it wasn’t petty lies, then it was brutal honesty. She seemed incapable of finding a balance between the two.

“I wouldn’t know. She is currently in a coma. Her eyes may never open again.”

“...That’s horrible.”

Christina looked visibly upset by the news. I gazed at the flickering torch flames as my lips parted slightly.

“The outside appearance has no value. It is nothing more than a mask that can be modified at any time, but the heart is different. It is difficult to change the heart, because that is where your truth comes from.”

“That’s pretty confusing, Beatrix. Isn’t it easier to just say you like a guy’s personality rather than their looks?”

“...”

My cheeks flushed slightly as I stared straight ahead. Christina scratched the back of her head while whistling.

“It’s... not quite the same thing. How many men have charmed you with their personality? Only for it to vanish once they can get what they want.”

“Hmm. That’s a fair point.”

She cocked her head to the side as she pondered over my words. The door at the end of the tunnel finally opened, and Brunaulf stepped out.

He held his sister in his arms as she buried her face into his chest. Her clothes were torn and reddish brown. Her body was frail and thin—even from where I stood I could see that her pulse was very weak.

I made eye contact with Brunaulf. His eyebrows were crumpled together as his thin lips spread into a short smile.

My heart thumped.

“Christina.”

She got up immediately and pulled out a spare change of clothes from inside her maid uniform. Christina carefully approached Brunaulf, quickly removing as much of the blood-stained clothes as possible while simultaneously covering her body.

“...Thank you.”

“You’re welcome...”

Christina stood beside the open door as I walked towards him. Judging from the light that pierced into the tunnel, there was an exit from the room itself. We didn’t need to retrace our steps here when we could go directly up.

“Are you ready to go back?”

Brunaulf nodded his head while we made our way back inside the room. I manipulated the air, blasting it through the ceiling above. Brunaulf matched my intent by creating a barrier of wind around us, blocking the falling debris.

“Beatri—”

“Later. Tell me later.”

I was positive before he returned to Outer Astril, we would have time to talk. Staying here any longer than necessary wasn’t wise.

I grabbed Christina's arm as compressed air exploded beneath our feet, launching us high into the sky. My fingers fanned out, manipulating the currents of air around us and slowing our descent. We dropped to the ground safely, landing a few meters away from the shattered reinforced wall.

Percival stood beside the broken fountain. His gaze shifted from Leonard's limp body towards Brunaulf. He bit his lip, ashamed of what he had been defending.

“Thank you for listening, Percival.”

A thin smile appeared on his face while he walked towards us.

“Go. I will handle everything here. I thank you for giving me the chance to correct this injustice and re-evaluate myself.”

He looked away from Brunaulf and focused on me.

“I see now that light can be found even within the deepest darkness. This lesson I won’t forget.”

Percival bowed his head deeply. I never thought a Knight's Apprentice would be so understanding and willing to admit to their faults. He could have easily ignored Brunaulf's claim and continued the battle, yet he didn’t.

“Kuhahaha! Percival... You’re a joke...”

“!”

Leonard stumbled to his feet, blood pouring out from his open wounds. Percival stood in front of us while facing him.

“...You're all going to die here now... Let’s meet again in hell, Percival!!”

Percival charged forward, but Leonard abruptly stabbed his own heart. A blast of wind pushed Percival back towards us as a purple Ki shot up high into the sky before exploding.

‘Not good.’

I watched Leonard's lifeless body collapse to the ground while the purple Ki fizzled out above.

“We need to leave now!”

“!!!!”

Brunaulf took the lead when a Ki so powerful appeared out of nowhere, it froze us all in place. Cold sweat wet the nape of my neck as I lifted my eyes slowly towards the sky.

A young boy floated in front of the full moon. He had short, spiky white hair, and his long, black cloak bore a symbol made up of a circle and dot slashed through by three strikes. It fluttered in the wind while his two purple eyes flashed.

‘Enigma!’

“A bunch of rats running around in someone else’s garden.”

His voice pressed down on us, forcing our feet to sink deeper into the ground. He slowly descended towards the ground, stopping just above the height of the mansion.

Percival released the full extent of his Ki as he trudged forward. He unsheathed the shortsword while flames coiled around it viciously.

“Run and don’t look back.”

Brunaulf hesitated before looking down at his sister suffering from being in the presence of such a powerful foe. He gently placed her into Christina's arms.

“Leave the estate as fast as possible. Nana will be waiting for you outside.”

Christina narrowed her eyes and nodded. She dashed away without a moment to lose as the young boy looked at the two of them leave with disinterested eyes.

“Do you think I came all the way here to watch you all play hero?”

A column of air crushed Percival into the ground like a pancake as the young boy's Ki flared. It descended down so fast it looked like he had manipulated gravity itself.

‘Jikki? Enryo? It can't be...’

Sweat poured down my face as the scope of his power transcended what I was capable of sensing to such a degree; he was an enigma to me. He peered down at us, his presence shaking the entire estate.

“I am Kindred.”